Exploiting Hollywood 1980

In the Stern Hall, the largest in Carnegie Hall, the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, which visited in the name of human peace, is playing Shostakovich's symphony that was played when the two countries were allies during World War II. Many listeners also came here because of the reputation, and the seats were packed.

However, the musicians of the Moscow Philharmonic no longer had the courage and ability to play for the soldiers on the Soviet-German battlefield. Except for official performances in Moscow and Leningrad, they just fooled around and played until they were done.

However, going to the United States to perform made everyone scratch their heads. In addition to buying some fashionable goods here, many people also wanted to contact the Western music industry and come to make money if they had the opportunity, especially those female musicians. She dressed up beautifully and almost got into a fight with herself when being interviewed by a photographer.

Little George came to listen to the music together. After the show, he, Norio Ohga, and Ronald went to the VIP lounge next to the smallest Vail Hall and talked about someone taking advantage of Sony's public acquisition of Columbia Pictures to bid for it. things.

"This is normal business competition. It is impossible for our American government to interfere in free market competition..." Little George said carelessly some of the sayings taught to him by his mother Barbara. The general meaning is that you Sony only need to follow our rules. Just follow the rules. As for other bidders, we won't help you suppress them.

"Next time, I'd better go to some country concert to be more exciting..." Little George was not interested in this kind of classical music at all. If it weren't for the fact that he could convey the message without arousing suspicion, he would not sit there for two hours.

"Ohga-san, let's find a place to chat..." After seeing off little George, Ronald invited the helpless Ohga-san to get into his luxury car and drive all the way to the Peninsula Hotel.

"This is the sorrow of the defeated..." Norio Ohga was depressed, and he told Ronald some real thoughts.

Sony has no foundation at all in the United States, and its connections with the political circles have just begun to be established. In many cases, they did not receive critical warnings, and no one was willing to speak out for them.

They have relented and agreed to CFIUS's request to acquire Colombia through the open market acquisition of major shareholder Coca-Cola and other stocks.

It cost Sony hundreds of millions of dollars for no reason. But in order to enter the American market, they decided to endure it. The Australian businessman Christopher Scars intervened, and as soon as the news became public, it pushed up Colombia's stock price.

Sony suffered a dumb loss and had no choice but to pay hundreds of millions of dollars more, and it didn't even have a way to fight back. Because CFIUS has prohibited them from contacting small shareholders privately to make acquisitions. That Scars was able to make a substantial pre- and post-acquisition stock price difference here by doing nothing.

This is a problem between Dahe and Sony, and it is also a problem that can be solved with money. Although there would be no problem with money, Dahe still couldn't help but said a few words to Ronald complaining about unfairness. Their money was earned through hard work one by one.

"Where did this Christopher Scars know about the acquisition? Is he here to steal money, or is he really going to bid for Columbia Pictures with you?" Ronald did not accept Dahe's words. Turn on the TV and jump to CNBC. It happened that Scars was being interviewed, saying that after completing the acquisition of MGM, he would increase investment to revive this old film studio.

"Who knows?" Dahe felt unhappy. This white Australian would be treated more often as one of his own in America, while they Japanese people, no matter how fluent in English and fond of high-end art such as Western symphony, would also be treated as one of their own. Intentionally or unintentionally, I am treated as an outsider.

"Hmph..." Ronald touched his chin and looked at this Scars. The more he looked at him, the more he looked familiar. The man's tone of voice and expression were very similar to one of his old acquaintances: Minahan Gran.

"Yeah, last year I spent a million dollars celebrating my 40th birthday, and one time my wife forgot her coat in Brisbane and I flew my private jet over to pick it up, and I always Such carelessness..."

By shaking his head and talking about himself, Christopher Scars is actually showing off his wealth. This style of first bragging about one's assets and then bargaining hard is very similar to the deception of the two Israelis.

"Do you think this person is pretending to be fat?" Ronald looked at Da He.

"Don't tell me, it's a bit like..." Norio Ohga is the president of a large company with a long experience in shopping malls. After observing Scars's expression carefully, he also sensed something was wrong.

"Hey, it's a pity that our Japanese company can only hope to find a media in America to speak for us fairly, let alone expose our competitors. We may be attacked in turn."

Dahe thought for a while, but shook his head. In this country ruled by white people, it is better to keep things steady. Sony's appeal is to put down roots first, and spend more money as tuition fees.

"Don't tell me, I do know an upright editor-in-chief."

"Ronald San, do you really have a way?" Da He's eyes lit up again. It felt uncomfortable to be taken advantage of. They would not give up if they had the chance to fight back. Moreover, Ronald is a white man. "Ronald-san can decide how much advertising and public relations expenses he needs to put in. We fully support it."

"Those haven't come yet, there will be times in the future when we need Dahe Sang's support." Ronald also wanted to show off James Wells, editor-in-chief of the New York Daily News.

…

"Rumble..." In the New York Daily News building, the quality of the elevator going to the newspaper office is not very good. It is noisy, slow, and has a small capacity. Ronald was uncomfortable in there.

"James..." After finally getting out of the elevator, the lights in the editor-in-chief's office flickered.

"Ronald, are you here? Mary, Mary, bring Mr. Li a cup of coffee, please." James Wells shouted to the secretary at the top of his lungs. In the narrow passage, the female secretary Mary dexterously moved from all kinds of places. It was very dexterous to shuttle between manuscripts and faxes.

"Why don't you repair yourself?" Ronald found a reasonably good chair and sat down.

"We haven't paid the property fee in full yet. Although it is owned by a company,... this is New York. Without money, there is no service..." Although the building is also owned by the Daily News Group, many shareholders have long wanted to occupy the property. The newspaper offices on several floors were driven away and then sold to concentrate on the office leasing business.

"Little Doug told me that you used half of our sponsorship money in two weeks. Let me ask what's going on." Ronald said with a smile. It seems that the sponsorship of US$500,000 they allocated will not last long. .

"Hey, this is all the result of the low-price strategy of the distribution department..." James Wells said very dissatisfied.

The subsidy strategy adopted by the board of directors last year was actually a failure. Although the color printing layout has been increased and the selling price has been reduced, the circulation has indeed increased a lot. But the cheapest price among the four major daily newspapers in New York means that the more they publish, the more they lose.

The original strategy was to allow increased circulation to bring more advertising. But this idea proved to be fanciful.

It makes sense that none of the four major daily newspapers would like to increase their circulation in Brooklyn and Harlem, on the northern side of Manhattan Island. The new subscribers to the Daily News are mainly from lower-class families in Brooklyn and poor blacks and Latinos in Harlem.

These people can generally only afford one newspaper and rely on the "Daily News" to bring them daily gossip. A newspaper is usually read by children from two or three families. And after reading the newspaper, many people also recycle the waste, use it to wrap food, or put it next to the toilet.

It is conceivable that the advertising commercial value of these new readers is extremely low, if not negative (many middle-class families will think that this is a newspaper for poor people and give up subscribing). But James Wells, who is in charge of the editorial department, has no choice. All he can do is to do the best news possible so that more readers with advertising value can read the daily news.

"With this kind of strategy, I think it will only be a few days before you are in financial trouble again." Ronald bluntly pointed out the absurdity of this newspaper's business strategy.

"Can you bring us any news?" James Wells smiled bitterly. He also agreed with Ronald's view, but this was not something he could solve by himself and it would take time. I had no choice but to ask Ronald what news he had in the entertainment industry recently.

"News? I'm not a well-informed person. I only found out about Spielberg's prenuptial agreement being annulled after reading the Hollywood Reporter."

"Hey, this matter is indeed a hot topic. We don't have first-hand sources, so we have to do an in-depth report to talk about the similarities and differences of divorce laws in various states for the readers' enjoyment."

Although Ronald, as a witness, gave testimony in the presence of witnesses from both parties and the court clerk, supporting Spielberg's statement. But the judge once again stirred up trouble and made big news.

Originally, Amy Irving's lawyer proposed compensation for her acting career, but there was no precedent or logic to support her claim. The income of actresses is extremely unstable, and no one can guarantee that Amy Irving will remain popular without marrying Spielberg. There are many things like Michelle Pfeiffer who are famous and affected by scandals.

Spielberg and Amy Irving's lawyers have tended to reach a consensus to give Amy Irving a one-time compensation of tens of millions, living expenses, and joint custody of both parties to end the lawsuit.

Who knew that the Jewish judge suddenly used his rarely used independent discretion and rejected the legality of the two people's prenuptial agreement.

According to California law, any California resident who is married in another state must have a prenuptial agreement governed by California law. An agreement is valid only if a lawyer is present when it is signed, or if it is drafted by a lawyer.

Spielberg's prenuptial agreement was improvised on a napkin by himself. Therefore, according to California law, the judge can initiate a judicial review on the grounds that the signing of the prenuptial agreement is not in compliance with legal requirements without objection from both parties.

The result of the review was that the prenuptial agreement was illegal, and the prenuptial agreement that Spielberg proposed and drafted on a napkin was revoked. Their divorce is still governed by California law. The wealth Spielberg earned after the marriage (valued at more than 200 million US dollars) is community property, that is, all the property accumulated by the couple during their marriage, and Amy Irving is entitled to half.

As soon as the news came out, Hollywood was in an uproar. Two major newspapers, The Hollywood Reporter and Variety, began to go all out to report on this napkin worth $100 million.

Divorce lawyers in Hollywood also saw a surge in business inquiries. Many people want to know how much money they can get in the event of a divorce, or how to sign a prenuptial agreement before getting married to minimize losses.

"This is a good idea. It won't grab the headlines. It's also a good idea to do some in-depth reporting." Ronald looked at the proof of the newspaper. The comparison of divorce laws in various states was relatively simple and easy to understand. He got a copy. The copy was stuffed into my pocket.

"We also need to get more of this kind of gossip news. You can't always live on donations... A newspaper can become a profitable business if it is well run."

"Hey, what you are saying is that I am also thinking of a way. Recently, our circulation has improved in Manhattan and Queens, and we have increased our advertising. Everything will be fine."

"It's better to get more gossip. Have you seen the recent news about the Australian tycoon Scars? He flew a private jet back and forth for his wife's coat, and also found a large number of bikini models to celebrate his birthday. There are many in Hollywood Everyone is envious..." Ronald directed the conversation to Scars.

"I know, actually this is a news subject. I feel like there is something wrong with this person..." James Wells' professional ability was very good. He immediately got a videotape for Ronald and played it on TV.

"Look, this man's expression and body posture are similar to our real estate developer in New York State. I suspect his financial situation in Australia is worrying."

"No way, why do you still show off like this when you have no money, and come to America to buy MGM." Ronald asked deliberately.

"This is a rich person's way of thinking. The more financial problems you have, the more money you have to show. Otherwise, creditors will find out that you have cash flow problems and ask you to repay the money. This kind of enterprise can still survive for a while. Yes, it will be bankrupt and liquidated soon.

Moreover, if he wants to acquire MGM, it might just be a financial operation. He wants to move in and out quickly and sell it to other investors at a higher price to ease his financial situation. "James Wells is a top student at Yale. He used to go to Wall Street a lot. He has a good sense for this kind of thing.

"This is good news material. It would be great if we could get an exclusive report." Ronald pretended to say. One of the characteristics of journalists is that they like to express themselves. If they have any opinions, keeping them silent would be the greatest psychological harm to them.

Therefore, Ronald did not need to remind the other party to go to Chaskas himself. As long as he asked the right questions, they themselves would tell him what Ronald wanted to say and arrange what he wanted them to do.

"Then what are you waiting for? We are about to turn over." Ronald looked at James Wells, as if wondering why he didn't stand up immediately to assign the interview task.

"It's a pity that we have no money and can't afford the cost of flying to Australia for the interview. We still need to prepare the money for next month's printing costs." James Wells sighed. This kind of revealing report is the favorite of journalists. .

"Do you have to go to Australia for the interview? That's a lot of money." Ronald looked like he was unwilling to pay.

"Actually, it would be fine if we could collect previous news reports about him in Australia. Unfortunately, we don't have a reporter station in Australia anymore, so we can only let the guys from the Wall Street Journal get the lead." James Wells said while sneaking a look at Ronald With an expression on his face, would a Hollywood director want his name to appear in a news article as a sponsor and a Pulitzer Prize?

"I can help with this. I have a friend in Australia. You make a list of newspapers and I'll ask her to find someone to collect them and send them to you, or fax them to you."

"Thank you very much, Ronald." James Wells couldn't hold it any longer, took out a pen and paper and started writing about newspapers and magazines in Australia that might involve Scars.

"Rachel? I'm Ronald. Yes, I have a friend who wants to know about your Australian tycoon Christopher Scarce." Ronald got the list from the Australian media and gave it to the actress Rachel. Chel Ward called.

"Ha, he is a pig. We all hate him. He likes to invite actresses to dinners, and then he touches them in front of his wife."

"Ah? Do you have information there? Very good, I'll have someone come get it." Ronald covered the phone and pretended to have discovered a clue.

"Okay, Rachel, you've helped me a lot." Ronald took the receiver away again and thanked Ward.

"You're welcome. The TV series 'Mission Impossible' gave many of us actors a regular job. I have to thank you for that."

"How's it going?" James Wells came up and asked.

"She said that there are some rumors about his financial status in Australia, and some media have covered them. She will fax all the copies to New York..."

"Great, Mary, Mary, get all the financial and entertainment journalists to come to the meeting."

"Hey, Ronald-san, what are your orders?" The head of Sony's New York office, who received Ronald's call, immediately assumed an attitude of dealing with his superiors. Norio Ohga said that he should treat Ronald's requests as his own.

"Ask your Australian office to fax reports related to Scars to the newspaper office. The phone number is..."

Ronald was asked what newspaper users thought of the Australian tycoon. He said that this man was a typical short-selling tycoon. With no money, they were unable to send reporters to Australia to cover the situation. Ronald decided to contact his contacts in Australia and fax the media reports there to the Daily News newspaper. There was also a report about a creditor suing him.

"Squeak..." Soon, the report of the Sydney Morning Herald was slowly printed out from the fax machine of the Daily News...

Tear, James Wells ripped off the first page, a lurid headline:

"Is Scarce, who owns five resorts, the Seven Network and the Brisbane Bears Football Club, a master of financial operations or a liar?"

Please remember the first domain name of this book: . :